From R' Simcha Herzog - " and although Maharal contends that Maimonides (he contends the same vis a vis the Tur) would never have published his Mishneh Torah had he been aware that his work would eventually be used by scholars to decide halachic questions without being required to have recourse to the Talmud - that seems to be somewhat wishful thinking as Maimonides famously and controversially seemingly wanted his magnum opus to replace other sources of the Oral Law http://www.hebrewbooks.org/pdfpager.aspx?req=49246&st=&pgnum=12 "
Me- I suppose it depends whether one thinks the Rambam's addressing "adam" means adam in the street or everyone. I suspect he meant it for those not capable of study at his level, but who knows - after all didn't R' Yosef Karo write the S"A as a cheat sheet for those who couldn't handle the beit yosef due to time or resource constraint's? Any research/thoughts on this?
KT
Joel Rich
THIS MESSAGE IS INTENDED ONLY FOR THE USE OF THE
ADDRESSEE. IT MAY CONTAIN PRIVILEGED OR CONFIDENTIAL
INFORMATION THAT IS EXEMPT FROM DISCLOSURE. Dissemination,
distribution or copying of this message by anyone other than the addressee is
strictly prohibited. If you received this message in error, please notify us
immediately by replying: "Received in error" and delete the message.
Thank you.
: I suppose it depends whether one thinks the Rambam's addressing "adam"
: means adam in the street or everyone. I suspect he meant it for those not
: capable of study at his level, but who knows - after all didn't R' Yosef
: Karo write the S"A as a cheat sheet for those who couldn't handle the
: beit yosef due to time or resource constraint's? Any research/thoughts
: on this?
RMR and I argued this Maharal at length (for months, under a number of
different subject lines) on-list.
LAD, the Rambam wrote Mishnah Torah as shelish bemishnah, still requiring
shelish begemara (lehavin davar mitokh davar, etc...) for those who are
capable of it.
Similarly, the Mechaber wrote the SA for the masses, but expected a poseiq
to use the BY.
What we argued about was whether the Maharal's negative statements
about codes went as far as banning them for the masses as well. And
thus, how do we distinguish between higi'ah lehora'ah and not, and
how much is someone who is not higi'ah lehora'ah expected to 2nd-guess
his poseiq and follow his own seikhel.
...LAD, the Rambam wrote Mishnah Torah as shelish bemishnah, still requiring
shelish begemara (lehavin davar mitokh davar, etc...) for those who are
capable of it.
In support of this, when Rav Pinchas HaDayyan chided the Rambam for what he wrote in the introduction to his Mishneh Torah, the Rambam responded (Letter to Pinchas HaDayyan) as follows:
...you write, ''It would be proper for your eminence to edify the
world with the instructions not to neglect toiling in the Gemora...''
It is proper for me to edify you regarding this entire matter, and
let you know that I understood quite well what you have in mind,
even though you have only hinted to it and not expressed it
explicitly. Know, first of all, that never did I, /chas vshalom/,
say ''do not occupy yourself''either regarding the Gemora, the
halachos of the Rif or anything else. Anyone aware of the facts can
testify that for roughly the past one and a half years, only three
or four of my [regular] group [of students] have studied some of my
work under me. The majority of students desired to study the
Halachos of the Rif, and I taught them all those halachos many
times. And two of my students asked to learn Gemora, and I taught
them the /mesechtos/they requested. Did I command them, or did it
enter my mind, that I would burn all the works composed by those
before me because of my work? *Have I not explicitly said at the
beginning of my work that I only composed it because there are those
who, due to the lack of ability, are unable to plumb the depths of
the Talmud, and who cannot decipher from it that which is prohibited
and permitted? And I elaborated upon this greatly.*
I admit that I find it hard to produce said elaboration, but this is what the Rambam says he meant.